1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to IP communication and more particularly to mobile use of a PBX system and its associated PBX identifier.
2. Description of Related Art
Presently, many individuals work at least part of the time from their homes. When the individual takes an IP device such as an IP phone out of the office, the IP phone must know the location where their office PBX system resides on the Internet. This is required so that the IP phone can find their office PBX system, connect to the PBX system, and participate from their remote location using a broadband connection on the Internet as their mechanism to communicate back and forth with the PBX system.
Conventionally, the Internet is based on domain names, which resolve to IP addresses. These IP addresses are the logical location of an individual computing component or device on the Internet. Thus, the individual's IP phone has an IP address, and the PBX system at the office also has an IP address (different from the IP address of the individual's IP phone). Often, there is a name that is assigned to each IP address so that, for example, when a connection to a particular domain name is requested by the individual's IP phone, the correct IP address is determined by a DNS server.
Current systems require a system integrator/programmer to program or configure the PBX system and each IP phone. Typically, the PBX system is assigned a fixed IP address. That fixed IP address is then programmed into the IP phone, so that when the IP phone is taken offsite (i.e., external to the office), the IP phone will know how to connect to the PBX system.
Disadvantageously, the PBX systems and IP phones must be programmed or configured. This not only requires integrators/programmers to set up the PBX system and IP phones, but it also requires integrators/programmers any time the IP address associated with the PBX system should change. Furthermore, conventional systems cannot handle a dynamic IP address as the PBX systems and IP phones are all configured with a single, non-dynamic (fixed) IP address.
As a result of the above mention problems, there is a need for a system which can manage mobile use of a PBX system.